Ingredients
- 10 chilies (dried red)
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 ct pods
- 200 gr palm sugar
- 60 ml tamarind juice
- 50 gr garlic (chopped)
- 34 gr shallots (chopped)
- 18 gr lemon grass (chopped)
- 16 ml oil
- 8 gr salt
- 6 gr coriander seeds
- 3 gr galangal (chopped)
- 3 gr bergamot skin (chopped)
- 3 gr shrimp paste
- 2 gr cumin seeds
- 2 gr coriander root (chopped)
Coarsely chop the chilies and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cloves over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and slightly browned. Saute the chilies, garlic and shallots in the oil until lightly browned. Pound in the following order: a) garlic, shallots and chilies b) coriander, cardamom pods, cumin, cloves and peppercorns c) lemon grass, galangal, bergamot, coriander roots. Place the shrimp paste on a piece of foil and cook it over a flame or burner for 1 to 2 minutes, or in a hot oven (425F) until the outside is slightly burnt. Mix the shrimp paste with all the above ingredients plus the sugar, salt and tamarind juice to form a fine paste. From "Discover Thai Cooking" by Chaslin, Canungmai and Tettoni, Times Editions, Singapore. 1987
